Amateur Photographer – 13 July 2019

20 13 July 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

Technique

Tiree Dawson

Tiree is a self-taught photographer who has

now been a professional for over 10 years.

She currently shoots around 80 weddings a

year and produces images for over 40 clients.

Go to http://www.tireedawson.co.uk or follow

her on Instagram at @tireedawson.

Wedding portraits

Tiree Dawson shares her six top

tips for capturing cracking shots on

a couple’s special day

Look for the

best light

Posed wedding portraits

of the bride and groom

are one of the few parts

of the day where you have

a choice over the lighting

and location of the shots

you are taking. Make the

most of this freedom by

picking an area where the

light is fl attering and suits

the mood of the couple

and the wedding. It could

be soft, playful or dramatic

but you should have a

sense of what will work

well for them and for you.

Use quieter times of the

day to effi ciently scope

out locations and light

(these may change at any

time, so keep this at the

back of your mind). Even

if you are quite familiar

with a venue and work at it

frequently, it’s important to

do this as conditions can

change dramatically from

one day to the next, so

be fully prepared to keep

adapting to the conditions.

Study composition and colour

Invest time in gaining an understanding of the rules

of composition and colour theory – even if it’s just

to play around with breaking them! When you see

an image you should note how the photographer

used form and colour and to what effect.

Experiment

For each section of the wedding day I will always get the

‘safe’ shots fi rst, as these are essential in documenting

the event. If I do this effi ciently, however, I know that

I’ll get to use any remaining time to up the creativity

levels. Don’t be afraid to tell your client when you’re

experimenting. If you’re behaving oddly holding things

up in front of the lens or rolling around on the fl oor then

it’s much better to communicate why rather than to lose

their trust. If they know you’ve got the safe shots in the

bag then they are usually happy to play along in the

name of creativity and the chance of something unique.

ALL PICTURES ON PAGES 20 -21 © TIREE DAWSON